FINANCE Minster Dr Omar Davies yesterday announced a new 12-member board for the national airline, calling it ‘the beginning of a new chapter in the life of Air Jamaica’, though the majority of the directors are from the old board.

The carrier is also to have a new chief executive officer, American Michael Conway, an airline executive with 25 years in the business and whose track record includes co-founding two airlines and turning around a bankrupt carrier more than a decade ago.

The airline is pushing to become profitable in the medium term under the policy direction of new chairman OK Melhado and his team.

Their main focus, Melhado told the Observer would continue to be on the airline’s cost structure to slim expenditure.

Other appointees from the interim board include Dr Vin Lawrence, Port Authority boss Noel Hylton, Central Bank governor Derick Latibeaudiere, businessman Senator Noel Sloley, tourism director Paul Pennicook, and Millicent Hughes.

Fresh faces include Professor Rex Nettleford, businessman Horace Reid, orthodontist Dr Jeffrey Meeks, and student Sophia Lowe – who will each serve three years.

A “workers’ representative”, the 12th member, will be named to the board soon, the minister said at a press conference.

Conway comes to Air Jamaica from his most recent job as senior advisor in an unnamed investment and restructuring bank, his CV says.

“I don’t have all the answers to every challenge but with the team, we’ll be able to address them,” Conway told the Observer following the press conference.

He takes up his new post November 1 but is already a resident here, he said.

Last year, government resumed control of the flagging airline from majority private owners Air Jamaica Acquisition Group, led by Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart.

(Stewart is also chairman of the Observer).

Since the takeover, government has committed an annual US$30 million to the airline to keep it flying, until it begins earning enough revenues to be self-sufficient.

Davies wants the restructured team to build on what he sees as the successes of the Vin Lawrence-led interim team in the financial restructuring of the carrier, explaining he said, his inclusion of the old guard.

“I was pleased with the work of the interim board so some members have been retained, but I also wanted to bring young persons on board as well as those with interest and minor success in this type of business,” said the minister, perhaps referring to Lowe.

“I wanted a board that was representative of all interest groups.”

Conway, was described by Davies as a “highly qualified professional at the senior level” in aviation.

“Over the course of his career, he co-founded two US airlines and became the youngest CEO of a major airline (America West) in 1991,” said Davies.

Conway is credited with financially and strategically restructuring America West within two years, after it filed for bankruptcy during the 1990-91 Gulf War.

It was unclear, given America West’s categorisation as a low cost carrier, whether the new CEO’s job would include a similar repositioning of Air Jamaica.

Melhado said Conway was a key choice, given his track record, for stabilising Air Jamaica.

Operationally, the airline is still evaluating strategies, Davies said at the press conference.

Melhado said those assessments include already announced plans to cut the fleet from 20 to 15 aircrafts, rationalise the routes the carrier flies, and strengthen the Air Jamaica brand.

Cabinet Sub-Committee

Omar Davies

Fitz Jackson

Deika Morrison

Robert Pickersgill

Paul Robertson

Horace Dalley

Aloun Ndombet- Assamba

Wykeham McNeil

Colin Bullock

Dennis Morrison

Air Jamaica

Michael Conway – CEO

Williams Rogers

Lloyd Tai

Tom Hill

Susan Rosen

Sandrea Faulkner

Ian Philpotts

Merl Dundas